District History

In 1915, Rotary International divided its clubs into separate Districts, improving administration and enhancing opportunities for growth.

Originally, the region that was to become District 5230 encompassed a wide area including the cities of Albuquerque, Berkeley, Fresno, Honolulu, Los Angeles, Oakland, Phoenix, Reno, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, and Stockton.

In 1957, District 522 was established covering the area from Sanger/Avenal in the south, Carmel/Monterey on the Coast, Fresno in the east, and Lodi in the north.

On April 18, 1980 in Sparks, Nevada, District 522 Governor Donald R. Foppiano appointed a committee to study regrouping the clubs.

The committee, comprised of nine PDG’s, including PRIP Cliff Dochterman, Chairman, District Secretary Martin Nelsen, and two AR’s, completed its work in 1982.

It recommended regrouping clubs within Districts 522 and 524 to form District 523.

Like all Districts in the Californian region, District 5230 began its life as the Western Division created as a consequence of the Duluth Conference in 1912.

In 1915, the Western Division was named District 13 upon the introduction of the newly created “district system” of numbering.

District 13 remained only for 3 years when, as a result of the growth of clubs in the region of California, renumbering became necessary. In consequence, District 23 was created in 1918 and incorporated the entire state of California.

In most cases, renumbering procedures caused an advancement in numbers but in 1923, the district was numbered from 23 to District 2.